1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a retrieving apparatus, a retrieving method, and a computer program product for retrieving content related to a keyword input by a speech.
2. Description of the Related Art
According to the spread of the broadband, television terminals with which it is possible to use video delivery services (Video On Demand: VOD) for movies and the like through the Internet are spreading. Television terminals including hard disk recorders and storage devices such as a hard disk are also spreading. Television terminals that can not only receive programs but also record the programs are appearing on the market. Besides the television terminals, audio video personal computers (AV-PCs) with high resolution for mainly viewing analog broadcasts and terrestrial digital broadcasts are started to spread. It is possible to record content materials such as received programs in hard disks.
A digital living network alliance (DLNA) guideline that makes it possible to mutually connect apparatuses such as the AV-PCs, the television terminals, and the hard disk recorders is decided. Users of apparatuses conforming to this guideline can view content materials (hereinafter, “contents”) recorded in all the apparatuses from the users' own apparatuses.
The users can view an extremely large number of contents as described above. However, in viewing specific content, the users need to retrieve the content desired to be viewed out of the large number of contents. In retrieval of content, in general, an electronic program guide (EPG) simultaneously recorded when contents are recorded is used. The EPG includes information concerning contents, for example, genres such as sports and news and performers. Therefore, it is possible to retrieve content based on these kinds of information.
Methods of operating the AV-PCs, the television terminals, and the hard disk recorders are becoming more complicated according to an increase in functions of the apparatuses. Therefore, an operation method employing speech recognition attracts attention. To retrieve content using speech recognition, “reading” of a word related to the content is necessary. Various technologies have been conventionally proposed as a technology for speech recognition.
For example, JP-A 2004-171174 (KOKAI) discloses a technology for reading out, when a user inputs readings of unknown words not registered yet, a sentence according to the readings. JP-A 2005-227545 (KOKAI) discloses a technology for using, when a reading kana is given to a word in an EPG, the reading kana as a reading of the word. In such speech recognition technologies, to improve accuracy of speech recognition, an “isolated word recognition system” for registering object words in a dictionary and recognizing the words is generally used.
Forms of words tend to change with the use of the words. In particular, people are often called by aliases such as abbreviated names and nicknames as names of people are spoken in more opportunities. Therefore, in the isolated word recognition system, it is impossible to follow a change in pronunciation of a word. As a result, a difference occurs between a reading of the word stored in advance and a present reading (pronunciation) of the same object represented by the word.
Therefore, even when a program recorded in the past and a program presently broadcasted or a program to be broadcasted in future represent the same object, words representing the programs in an EPG can be different. For example, a name representing the same person, the same program title, or the like is described as a formal name in an EPG of programs in the past but is described in another name such as an abbreviated name or a nickname in an EPG of programs at present or in future. In the conventional retrieval technology employing an EPG, when a user tries to retrieve a program using an abbreviated name or a nickname that the user uses, even if the program is present, the user cannot retrieve the program because the program is represented by a name different from the abbreviated name of the nickname in the EPG. On the other hand, when an abbreviated name or a nickname is described in the EPG and the user tries to retrieve a program using a formal name, even if the program is present, the user cannot retrieve the program because the program is represented by the name different from the formal name in the EPG.
It is conceivable to solve the problems described above by manually registering abbreviated names and nicknames using the technology disclosed in JP-A 2004-171174 (KOKAI). However, operation for the registration is complicated because the user needs to register every abbreviated name and nickname. Moreover, when the user does not know readings of aliases such as abbreviated names and nicknames, the user cannot register the aliases.
In general, because the readings are given to only formal names in the EPG, the user cannot acquire readings of aliases of the formal names from the EPG. Therefore, even if the technology disclosed in JP-A 2005-227545 (KOKAI) is used, the problems described above cannot be solved.